Cardiovascular disease is diagnosed in millions of people each year. If you are diagnosed, your doctor will refer you to a specialist in your area. Every stress test is different, and the cardiologist you are referred to will set up the right one. Stressing your heart is the purpose of a diagnostic test of the sort. Choosing the right one is what cardiologists will do. The goal is to stress your heart and then perform another test to reveal information. In this article, we will talk about different stress test so you have an idea of what to expect.

If it is recommended that you do a stress test, it doesn’t mean you have a heart problem at all. A pipe that is partially clogged up that is feeding a pump – think of that. Well, it’s only natural to assume the pump will not work as well, and it may even make strange noises. In the same way, your doctor may hear something out of whack, and want to test your cardiovascular system just to be sure. Your arteries and veins might be clogged, which is an assumption based upon our lifestyle and diet in the United States. Since most doctors will not recommend a test out of the blue, there is probably a reason you need it. A stress test done on a treadmill during an annual checkup could be what you have to do. You won’t have to be injected with radioactive dye as this is not a nuclear stress test which requires some type of imagery.

Many problems may show up for the cardiovascular system from time to time. If you have any problem that requires medication, stress tests are usually recommended or required. If you are taking medication, and you have to take a stress test, it’s usually done to monitor the situation. Different medications are often prescribed after these tests as things are discerned from the results. Cardiologists can only tell if a heart related drug is actually working if they do a test like this. Depending upon your condition, you may find yourself doing different stress tests from time to time. Anyone that had heart surgery will undergo a stress test at some point to see how they are doing. The success of the procedure can therefore be judged in this manner.

You need to discuss the different types of cardiac stress tests with your practicing physician if he or she recommends you need to get one. The obvious differences are whether you see an image or an EKG. Don’t just accept those differences that are obvious and move on. You have to understand why one option is better than another and the person who should be giving you this advice is your cardiologist. It’s usually the cardiologist, or specialist, who makes the call. The nuclear tests are more expensive than the simple treadmill stress test. It takes about a week for the disintegration of the radioisotopes in your system to occur. Therefore, if you aren’t overly fond of the idea of radioactive substances being introduced into your body, then you should consider the EKG/treadmill test.

Stress tests are great for finding information about your heart, as well as your overall cardiovascular system to make sure you’re healthy. On the other hand, if you feel the need to get another opinion that’s fine. It could lead to having a secondary stress test, yet it may the one that helps you the most.